At the $20 million PGA Tour event, the official record keepers managed to give away Rory McIlroy’s hard-earned victories to the wrong player. It was a glaring mistake that Michael Kim couldn’t help but call out.

“LOL, I just noticed the accolades were next to Ryan’s name,” Kim wrote on X, highlighting how the PGA Tour mistakenly slated McIlroy’s most prestigious career accolades, including the current Masters & Players Champion and the 2018 past champion, beside his playing partner, Ryan Fox.

How can anyone forget how McIlroy had a splendid season last year and earned these accolades? Both these victories were dramatic playoffs: the Players’ win came against JJ Spaun, and the Masters victory was earned against Justin Rose. In 2018, McIlroy won the API by three strokes, just one year after Arnold Palmer passed away.

Fox is a talented golfer from New Zealand who had a whirlwind season in 2025. He won the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic and the RBC Canadian Open in very dramatic playoffs. These big wins helped the Kiwi star establish his name on the Tour. However, he has not won a major championship or the PLAYERS Championship yet.

The timing of Kim’s tweet made the morning feel even more chaotic. After the second round, McIlroy sat at 4-under par and tied for ninth place, trailing leader Daniel Berger by nine shots. Despite the deficit, his current performance, just coming off a runner-up finish at the Genesis Invitational, made him a serious contender for the weekend. However, the situation changed 30 minutes before his scheduled tee time at 12:55 p.m. ET.

McIlroy felt a small twinge in his lower back during a morning gym session. When McIlroy went straight to the range instead of putting a little first, the small twinge turned into painful muscle spasms. It stopped him from swinging his club, and he later withdrew from the $20 million event.

With McIlroy out, Fox had to complete his third round alone. He shot 3-over for the day and now sits in 30th position on the leaderboard. Kim was worried that Fox might be the worst guy on the Tour to play without a group, as he is one of the fastest golfers. However, there’s no other choice, correct? But for the golf fans, there’s much more to worry about than just Fox’s speed.

What’s next for Rory McIlroy?

The next big stop on the schedule is the PLAYERS Championship at the famous TPC Sawgrass, where McIlroy is the defending champion. His victory last season over J.J. Spaun was a masterclass. In the 3-hole playoffs, McIlroy’s 9-iron into the 17th island green forced Spaun into a water-bound error. If healthy, McIlroy would be looking to defend his title, a feat only achieved by Scottie Scheffler at the fifth major.

But the most alluring goal for McIlroy is his defense of the Masters title, which is just 33 days away. He worked for over a decade to win the Green Jacket and finally did it last April. To prepare for Augusta, he famously sacrificed events such as the Cognizant Classic and chose to skip the Houston Open, just as he did last season.

Although he said he hoped for a healthy return, any setback now could derail his aspirations for a second Green Jacket. Given his age (36) and a history of similar issues, such as his 2013 Honda Classic withdrawal and the 2023 Tour Championship spasms, this recent injury blow is a serious concern for the 5x major champion.